My mother had some interesting notions about food safety. As a result, I'm pretty immunized against food poisioning. So, yes, leftovers on the counter until cool; I have a week to eat the leftovers; expiration dates are a recommendation, not a law (I have faith in preservatives. ); a little raw egg won't hurt me. Dubious seafood will though, so I am very careful about that.

I also thaw meat on the counter if I forget to put it in the fridge the night before. From what I understand, as long you cook it properly, it will be fine.

An even faster way to thaw meat: put it in a sealed zip-top bag and set it in a bowl in the sink. Fill the bowl with lukewarm water, and then set the water to cool and run it at just a bare trickle. Water will thaw meat much more quickly than air, and the movement caused by that bare trickle will make it even faster than just sitting in water.

This method does waste some water, so I only do it in urgent situations.

I think the wine advice got misunderstood somewhere. You shouldn't cook with wine that is not of drinking quality, not wine you wouldn't drink because you just don't like the flavor. They mean different things. The wine advice is really referring to not using cheap nasty stuff that is labeled as "cooking wine" and since it's usually is shelved with the vinegar, that should tell you something.

I also don't separate my colors either as I just wash everything in cold . I do separate my delicate weight items and either do a separate load or toss them in a lingerie bag. I do wash new brightly colored items alone and with white vinegar to help set the colors.

Well, yeah, I know that "cooking wine" is like the nastiest stuff and you should never cook with it. But I really do think that they mean regular wine too.

The Quality Consideration: You may be hesitant to cook with your most prized red wine but be careful not to use absolute plonk in your dishes. If you wouldn’t drink it on its own, do not cook with it! Cook with a basic bottle that you might enjoy in a casual setting.

Avoid using cooking wines.Clearly there are far better choices than so-called "cooking Sherry" or other liquids commonly billed as "cooking wine." These are made of a thin, cheap base wine to which salt and food coloring have been added.

Never cook with a wine you wouldn't drink.A poor quality wine with sour or bitter flavors will only contribute those flavors to the dish. Julia Child once said, "If you do not have a good wine to use, it is far better to omit it, for a poor one can spoil a simple dish and utterly debase a noble one." It's worth the investment to buy a quality wine. Just don't forget to sip a little as you stir.

So yeah, the conventional wisdom is, if you buy a bottle to drink, take a sip and don't like it, toss it. Whereas in my kitchen, that wine goes into the fridge and I use it within a couple of days for cooking.

I agree that they mean more than just cooking wine. And I agree that I might buy a wine that I open and think, nope, and I end up using later in the week for cooking. But it's usually only when it's a small amount compared to other ingredients.

But I am particular about what wine I'll use for a dish like beef bourguignon because the wine is such a major flavor component. But I'm still not pouring in a $20 bottle of wine. It'll be a "table" wine that I enjoy.

I love me some raw cookie dough and cake batter. Except for cookie dough/cake batter I am overly-cautious about food contamination and expiration, which I think just shows that my principles can be bought for the right price...

I also wash my hair every night--I know my mom only does it every other night, but I didn't know every night was against prevailing advice. We also both shower at night instead of first thing in the morning, which some people seem to think is weird. And I don't own a hair dryer, which my mom thinks is weird--she shudders at the idea of me going to bed with wet hair, but she's always cold and I'm usually warm.

I separate lights and darks when doing laundry, but that's it. I actually don't even look at the washing label on the clothes--I couldn't even tell you what temperature my washer is set to. Medium? I never change it. I also don't even own an iron... either all my clothes are made of wrinkle-free material or people are just too kind to tell me I look rumpled.

Also I think there are things you aren't really supposed to put in the dishwasher, like pots and cookie sheets maybe, but I put everything in, because I hate washing dishes. They all come out well enough for me.

Looking over this list I am just a seriously lazy person. That is definitely what drives most of these actions, rather than some kind of philosophical choice...

Use by dates are a guide. Smell/taste tests are way more reliable - note there is a limit on this. Dairy several months old, I trust to be bad. Phyllo that is supposed to be used in a week - I'll check it out before I throw it away.

One of the "approved" ways to thaw meat is in water, and I actually tested it versus thawing on the counter and thawing in the fridge (my house growing up was full of science nerds, hah). Thawing in cold water was by far the fastest of the three, although you do need to change out the water every 30 minutes to keep it cold. It usually takes me only an hour and it's by far a better option than letting it thaw on the counter with variable temps.

One of the "approved" ways to thaw meat is in water, and I actually tested it versus thawing on the counter and thawing in the fridge (my house growing up was full of science nerds, hah). Thawing in cold water was by far the fastest of the three, although you do need to change out the water every 30 minutes to keep it cold. It usually takes me only an hour and it's by far a better option than letting it thaw on the counter with variable temps.

ITs easier to cut frozen/partial frozen meat so I tend to do the dicing/slicing etc about 20 minutes after I take it out of the freezer. It thaws pretty fast then.

OH here is a related one ...I'll toss a frozen roast in for soup or cook ground round for chili still partially frozen by flipping the frozen side to the bottom of the pan and breaking off the cooked bit. Yeah I sometimes forget to take it out of the freezer until about 15 minutes before I should start cooking.

I thaw meat on the counter, if I remember to pull it out. Most times, I just cook from frozen. Roasted chicken, pork, beef, etc all taste exactly the same and take no longer than when I thaw it first. Stuff that has to be cooked on the stovetop gets boiled, it tastes fine too. But then, how hard is it to screw up spaghetti sauce, stew, or sausages??

I wash my face with shower gel and water; I haven't cleansed, toned and moisturised since I was a teen. Of course I do have EDS and the velvet-soft skin that goes with it, so I guess I'm cheating a bit But still - works for me.